"There is no end to self-knowledge."

Astrological Musings & More

There is a quietness in the heavens right now. Perhaps the Universe is presenting us with a chance to listen. In silence, wisdom is often found.

We spend so much time in noise. The myriad of cell phones, TVs, computers, along with the hustle and bustle of everyday life with all the people and traffic is a cacophony that causes distress in our psyche. Even when there is a lull, our minds are a whirlwind of thought – most of which is doubt, fear and worry.

Yes, perhaps the Universe is sending us a message, “Be silent and listen.” We owe it to ourselves to do just that.

The New Moon in Taurus occurs on Saturday, April 21st, at 3:18 am EDT. Here, the energies are the most solid and practical. If you are looking for energies to help you muster your determination, this New Moon has them!

The energies of the Sun and Moon both being in Taurus also promote friendliness, cheerfulness, and being companionable. This is also a great time for endeavors in music and art as well as the enjoyment of both.

With Taurus being the natural ruler of the second house of money and finances, this New Moon presents an opportunity for a new beginning in any area of your life could use a little more financial prosperity. Practicality is the keyword here. Taurus is not impulsive and will think things through before acting. Take a good look at any financial offers that come your way, from a practical perspective, before deciding if this is a good way for you to go.

The annual April Lyrids meteor shower occurs April 21st & 22nd. This meteor shower takes place each year as the Earth passes through the tail of Comet Thatcher.

On Saturday night, until sunrise on Sunday, if you go outside and look in the eastern sky you will see a bright blue star, Vega. Near Vega you will see the Lyrids shower happening at about 10 – 20 meteors per hour. Although they aren’t as bright as some other meteors, since this is the time of the New Moon, the sky will be darker thus making them more visible. What a wonderful way to celebrate the New Moon…with “fireworks”!

Earth Day is 42 years old as we celebrate it on Sunday, April 22nd. It’s a wonderful time to plant trees and flowers or just get out into Nature and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. Mother Nature certainly knows how to decorate!

No matter what name you celebrate it by, the centuries old tradition happens on Monday, April 30th or Tuesday, May 1st (depending on what you celebrate). It’s a wonderful time to celebrate Spring with friends and family.

Before I close this issue of Musings, I want to remind you that we still have two planets retrograde. Many who are into astrology groan – sometimes loudly – at the prospect of a planet being retrograde. I know, I used to be one of them. Now I choose to view them as opportunities. When a planet goes retrograde, it brings the energies back at us so that we may learn from them. Depending on the planet and the sign it’s in when it goes retrograde, we can have real opportunities for learning and growth.

Saturn is still retrograde in Libra and that presents an opportunity for learning and growth in the area of relationships of any and all kinds – even the ones we have with ourselves.

But as I said in early February, “Libra isn’t just about relationships though. It’s also about justice, harmony and balance. It’s also about learning to be decisive. In an effort to avoid discord, Libra energies cause us to look at both sides of situation (and sometimes all 360 degrees of it!) causing indecision. The fairness and harmony we seek often becomes a balancing act that, after a while, can cause us to throw up our hands and just stop trying.

“Retrograde Saturn in Libra give us an opportunity to take a more mature stance to our relationships and other lessons, still seeing the other points of view but melding them into a compromising third point of view that is truly ours. Most certainly an opportunity for growth and wisdom!”

Then if you take a look at Pluto, which just went retrograde in Capricorn on April 10th, you can see another opportunity for growth and learning in the area of learning to establish your individuality and authority with a society or culture. This can be done by developing an awareness of your feelings on a daily basis as you move through your day and asking yourself how your philosophies and who you truly are fit into the society or culture in which you find yourself.

You can see that both retrograde planets are offering us valuable chances to get to know ourselves and how we relate to ourselves, others and our world. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I believe these planets, in their retrograde motion, are offering us a chance to understand that on a much deeper level.

Until next time, may the stars and planets guide you as you create your future in the Now.